The Easiest Road

Driving in the fall can see a lot of strange weather here in New England: from early snowfalls to sudden sunlight and dreadful downpours out of the gloom, driving can not only be a chore but also dangerous! Some of the most dangerous conditions are made when a rainy day turns from a drizzle to a deluge and you’re stuck out on the roads.

Here are some tips from The Next Street to help you get through this autumn’s rainfalls.

New drivers will quickly realize that not all roads seem to follow the rules. In this post, we’ll Go Ahead and give you some quick tips that can benefit both the experienced driver just as much as those fresh out of driver's ed.

Our current understanding of brain development states that the human brain isn’t fully developed until age twenty-five. The last part of the brain to fully mature is the pre-frontal cortex and that is the part of the brain responsible for judgment and decision making. This means that the teenage brain isn’t ready to make the complex decisions required to drive as safe as possible. This is where we, parents and driving instructors, come in.

Consider that back in the day many of us learned to drive from our parents, and were taught that it is ok to drive 5 or 10 miles over the speed limit. In reality, speeding, even a little over the speed limit, is dangerous. Why? The speed limit is based on several things, such as, how far can we see down the road, the width of the road, the number of lanes, the amount of foot traffic, etc.

Experienced drivers know how important scanning is while driving. Knowing what's around your vehicle helps you to recognize potential hazards. For new drivers, regardless of age, scanning is one of the last skills they develop. If you're teaching someone how to drive, there's a drill you can use to help them not only get better at scanning, but also to make sure that they are processing that information correctly. It's called "commentary driving".

Commentary driving is a technique where the driver talks about everything they see while they are driving. The first couple of times you do this drill with them they should be talking about EVERYTHING. Make sure they mention signs, lights, pavement markings, other cars, pedestrians, telephone poles, airplanes, cats, dogs, lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!). You want them seeing and talking about everything. They should be talking a lot. Everything they see and comment on won't be important, but that's ok. The goal in the beginning is to get them better at scanning. Looking as far in front of them as possible and looking to the back and to the sides as often as possible.When they get to the point where they are seeing everything, or almost everything, have them comment on only what is important and stop talking about the unimportant stuff. At this point, what they say to you is more important than what they see. If they are still mentioning the unimportant stuff, then they are doing the drill wrong. The ultimate goal is that they are scanning, recognizing what is important, dealing with it and ignoring everything else. By focusing on only the important stuff, they can make adjustments to their speed and/or their position to help them deal with potential hazards.

It is very important that your comments to them while they are doing this drill are positive. If they fail to see something that they should have, point out to them the thing(s) that they didn't see and then ask if it is something that they will have to deal with or if it is something that is unimportant. Ask them simple questions like "What do you see in your left side view mirror right now?" or "What do you see beyond the next intersection?" or "Why do you think that's important?" Be generous with positive comments. Also make sure that they don't take their eyes off the road for too long as they check a mirror or a dashboard control. Commentary driving is a great tool to use with those new drivers who have a good grasp of the basic controls of the car. It will take them to the next level of their driver training and help to make them safe, responsible drivers.

It's no secret that teen driver restrictions in Connecticut can get confusing. When can I drive? Who am I allowed to drive with? Is my brother allowed to ride with me? It is easy to forget the details, but unfortunately if you do, you can be in some trouble. Keep these restrictions in mind the next time you hit the road.

Everyone knows (or should) that driving under the influence is dangerous and should never be done, but a lot of people don't know exactly what that means. What if I've only had a few? What if I only have to go down the street? What if I start to drive but pull over to the side of the road to sleep it off? Too bad. When it comes to DUIs, DWIs, and OUIs the law is pretty clear. If you are under the influence, you can not, under any circumstances, drive. Easy, right? Not always.

We’re all familiar with the basic laws of driving. Drive on the right side of the road. Red means stop. You know, those kinds of things. But in some parts of the world, there are driving laws that aren’t so basic. Some of the laws are just, well… strange.

All-Star Driver is now The Next Street. We changed our name to put the high beams on how we’re revolutionizing driver’s education – where getting your license is as fast and as fun as the law allows. By training 10,000 more students each year than any other driver’s ed option in the state, by offering thousands of classes at 70+ classroom locations, and by featuring the only customer service center of any school in CT – The Next Street is The Best Driving School in Connecticut.